Bail tie and clamp



J. E. LANGFORD. RAIL TIE AND CLAMP., APPLlcAlloN-HLED JUNE 1.6. 1'919.

Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

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l RAIL ne Mm CLAMP. APPLICATION FILED IUNE16| I9I9. v

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RAIL TIE AN D CLAMP.

Leaders.

Specicationof Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. d, 1919..

Application filed .Tune 16, 1919. Serial No. 304,524.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH E. LANG- roRD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salt Lake City, in the county -of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful `Improvements in Rail Ties and Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates generally to rail ties and clamps and is more particularly a composition tie havingv means embedded therein adapted to provide for the effective holding of rails against displacement or overturning, whose outer surface is such that it may be immovably supported in the road bed and will be durable and effective in use far beyond the possibilities of the present wooden tie. v

With the above general statement of the objects of my invention, further yand more detailed objects as well 'as the resulting objects Awill be apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the accompan ing drawings, forming a part of this lspeci cation and including several figures of which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken lengthwise through my improved tie and illustrating its practical application,

Fig. 2 is a partial top plan view,

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section taken substantially on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of on of the wedge holding keys removed,

r Figs. 5 and 6 are transverse vertical sections through different points of a rail engaged by the wedges, as hereinafter described, v

Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of a pair of the wedges,

F'g. 8 is a` detail perspective view of one of Ethe tie plates removed.

Referring now to these figures m inven- -tion includes a concrete tie genera ly indicated at 10 and lof full thickness at its points of rail support, from which its upper surface tapers olf toward the extremities as seen 'at 11 in Fig. 1 in particular, as well as toward its reduced central portion 12 where as seen'in Fig. 2 it is also reducedin width. It is very obvious that the tie, being formed of concrete or similar yplasticmaterial, will by virtue of this very material last much longer than the. usual-woodentie, andthat while thisl material forms 'an extremelynheavy tie I reduce the weightto a minimum by re! at certain points and reinforcing its body as presently tiein the road bed by virtue of portions of the ballast within these reduced portions as for instance seen at 13 in Fi 1.

Parallel, and adjacent to t e lower surface of the tie body I preferably extend longitudinal reinforcing members 14 for the full length 0f the tie and above these reinforcements 14 and parallel therewith I prefera'bly extend longitudinal reinforcing members l5 below the surface of the reduced portion 12 of the tie, which latter reinforcements extend between the points' of rail support only. The points of rail support of the tie are furthermore preferably reinforced by mesh or the like reinforcing members 16 embedded in the body of the tie similar to the reinforcements 14' and 15 and located in the thickened end portions of the tie which supupstanding side ears 18 whose inner oppos-v ing faces are concavely recessed, each of the plates`17 being formed of a single piece of material, the end portions of which are slit and bent angularly to form depending feet 19 lcated at the four 'corners of the plate. The side portions of the plate between the upstanding ears 1-8 are furthermore slit to provide intermediate depending tongues 20, and as seen by reference to-Figs. 1 and-3 the plates 17 so formed are embeddedy in the `upper surface of the thickened end lportions of the tie so that the material of w ich the tie is formed covers the ears 18 and the tie thus remains with-transverse rail receiving channels 2l between abutments 22 and of which the upper surfaces f the plates 17 form-the bases. The. inner surfaces of the abutments 22 integrall with the body ofthe tieare undercut so as to coincide with the inner concavely recessed edges of the ears 18 embedded, as above stated, within the abut- .ments, and it will be noted that the platesv .t '17. so embedded in the tie, have thelr des'.

8, slots being left in the' adjacent portions 'of theties as seen' in Fig. 2 so as t o allow of pending .feet 19 extending downwardly through the mesh reinforcing members 16 and thus coperate with the tongues 20 which also depend well into the material of the tie, in securely locking the plates in position. By reference to Fig. 8 again it will be 'noted that each of the plates 17 has at its opposite ends openings 23 through which the material of the tie extends so as to further lock'the plate in position.

With the rail seats as thus formedl utilize rail base embracing wedges 24 as seen particularly in Fig. 7, these wedges being employed 1n pairs, each extending aroundv one side of the base of a rail 25 as seen in Figs. 5 and 6, and each tapering longitudinally and in the same direction so that when engaged with the rail base they may be driven into wedging engagement in the rail receiving channels of the ltie and into engagement with the taperin acesof the abutments 22 and the concave y vrecessed inner faces of therail plate ears 18. These wedges 24 l1ave lower flat portions 26 on which the rail bases directly rest, and' may be formed either in one piece as seen in Figs. 5 and 6 or, where electrical connections demand, they may be formed of two layers with an interposed insulating layer 27. 1t is obvious furthermore that by regulating the widths of the lower flat portions 26 of these wedges, their ability to grip the rails may be controlled without however detracting 'from their ability to engage the sides of the tie channels 21. Thus at a central point of a rail Wedges are utilized of such width as seen at 24a in Fig. 6 that when driven into the tie channels they will grip the rail as well as the sides of the channel, so as to thus defeat creeping of the rail, while 'toward the ends of the rail wider wedges will be utilized as seen at 24 in Fig. 5 so that the inner edges of' their lower flat portions 2G Will engage beforethe rail is gripped and thus permit the end portions of the rail'to move lengthwise for purposes of expansion and contraction under the effeet of climatic changes.

The wedges 24 are also provided adjacent to one end with outer transverse grooves 28 into which locking keys 29 may be shifted after the lwedges have been driven tight lin operative position so as to prevent acci-- dental displacement of the Wedges 1n use. The locking keys 29, one ci whlch 1s shown.

in detail in Fig. t, are pivotally connected at 30 at one side of certain o the ears 18 ofthe rail receivingv plates 17 as seen in Fig.

ready movement of these keys into and out 4of the eective position shown in the latter figure.-

Vrllhusjin utilizing my improved 'tie it is apparent that by seating the same, after ceiving plate 17 approximates the lower levelsof the rails, portions of the ballast of the road bed may be disposed between the thickened end portions of the tie upon the upper surface of its reduced portion 12 as well as the sides of this reduced portion so as to effectivel preventshi'fting of the tie thereafter. Qlhs rails are then extended through the rail receiving channels of the tie, into which their bases may be rocked in the first instance if desired, and the wedges 24 are then disposed in position and driven snugly into engagement with the sides of the rail receiving channels either with or without binding engagement between these wedges and the rail bases as previously described.

My invention therefore provides a tie which will4 be extremely eii'ective and durable in its use asy such, and in addition pro vides for electively gripping and holding rails in such manner as to prevent spreading or overturning and defeat tendency to creep while at the same time allowing for properly expansive and contractive move-v ment under climatic changes.

I claim:

1. A composition rail tie having transverse rail-receiving channels in the upper face thereof adjacent its opposite ends, and rail-receiving plates embedded within the tie to form the bases of Asaid channels and to receive the rails thereon, said plates having upstanding ears embedded in the material of the tie and the inner edges of which terminate flush with the side walls of the said channels, as described. A.

2. A composition raill tie having transverse rail-receiving channels in the upper face thereof adjacent its opposite ends, and rail-receiving plates embedded within the tie to form the bases of said channels and to receive the rails thereon, said plates having portions projecting into the body of the tie at opposite sides of its channels and provided wi'th upstanding ears, the inner edges of which terminate flush with the side walls of the channels, as described.

3. A composition rail tie having reduced central and end portions and provided with 'transverse rail-receiving channels between 'said reduced portions, the side walls of -provided with recesses, the inner e ges terminating flush with Ithe under cut surfaces of the side walls oi' said channels, as described.

4. A composition rail tie havin reduced central and end portions and provided with rail seats between the. said reduced portions, reinforcements extending through the tie of .ing with Vits full length adjacent to its lower surfaces, other reinforcements disposed beneath the said rail seats Within the tie body and between the rail seats, rail-receiving plates elnbedded in the material of the tie at the said rail seats and rail-holding wedges coperatportions of the said plates and the tie to securely hold rails on the said rail seats.

5. A composition rail tie having transverse rail-receiving channels, plates embedded in the material of the tie to form the bases of said channels and having upstanding portions Whose inner faces terminateflush With the side Walls of the channels, and railfengaging Wedgesk shiftable in the channels in engagement with the side Walls of the channels and the said upstanding portions of the plates.

`6. A composition rail tie having transversel rail-receiving channels,- plates' embedded in the material of the tie to form the bases of said channels and having upstanding portions Whose inner faces terminate flush With the side Walls of the channels, and rail-engaging Wedges shiftable in the channels in engagement with the side Walls of the channels and the said upstanding portions of the plates, said Wedges having rail embracing portions movable into binding engagement with the bases of a rail, as described.

7. A composition rail tie having transverse rail-receiving channels, plates embedded in the material of the tie to form the bases of said channels and having upstanding portions Whose inner faces terminate flush With the side Walls of the channels, and rail-engaging wedges shiftable in the channels in engagement with the side Walls of the channels and the said upstanding portions of the plates, said Wedges having locking grooves and locking keys carried by certain of the upstanding portions. of said plates and sliiftable into engagement with the looking grooves of the Wedges, as and 'for the purpose described.

8. A composition 'tie having transverse rail-receiving channels, rail receiving plates forming the bases of said channels and having apertured .portions embedded in the material of the tie and provided with upstanding ears, the inner faces of which terminate flush Withlthe side Walls of the said channels, rail-engaging Wedges shiftable Within the said channels and into binding engagement with the side Walls thereof and the ears of said plates, and provided with locking grooves, and movable keys pivoted to certain of the ears of said plates and shiftable in the grooves of saidv wedges to lock the latter against displacement.

JEREMIAH E.v LANGFORD. 

